Nokia’s new range of Lumia smartphones will give mobile operators a “third alternative” to the reliance on Apple and Samsung/Android, Stephen Elop, Nokia’s chief executive officer (CEO), has said.
Speaking to reporters after the launch of the Lumia 1020, which features a 41 megapixel camera and continues Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft on the Windows Phone operating system, Elop recognised they needed to improve Nokia’s apps offering and said it needed to be realistic in where it competed.
Elop said: “The first step in the conversation is the recognition that we’re not Apple, we’re not Samsung/Android – we’re a third alternative.
“And when an operator wants to keep pressure on [handset makers] and have a lot of options, he wants a third alternative. So, strategically, we have an opening because we’ve taken that path as the third ecosystem.”
To become the third player, Nokia and Windows Phone would have to reel in BlackBerry, which shipped 6.8 million devices in the three months to the end of May, the Guardian reported.
Nokia is targeting shipping 7.1 million handsets in the quarter just finished.
Regarding mobile apps, Elop added: “On applications, we have to do a lot of work, and keep pushing. But critical mass is building, and you’re seeing more and more unique work being done on our platform.
“It’s hard, it’s a challenge. But there’s no doubt we’re making progress.”
